Scratching the surface for new ideas

Every so often, The Peace Exchange will be taking a look at projects and initiatives that are taking place worldwide to build better lives for communities around the globe.

In this post, we’re turning our gaze momentarily to the Voices from Eurasia blog, where something rather exciting is happening, in the form of a digital challenge: Social Innovation Camp Armenia (Mardamej) that is taking place later this month.

For those planning to participate, the objective is to “bring together ideas, people and digital tools to build web-based solutions to social problems – all in just 48 hours“.

Moreover, the “social problems’ to be tackled should constitute an “itch” that needs to be “scratched” or addressed, with passion, creativity and the playground of free digital tools that today’s world wide web provides.

How’s that for fun? Not to mention, ambitious?

There’s nothing that The Peace Exchange likes more than socially innovative solutions to problems afflicting communities.

And social innovation camps are all about that, drawing on the wealth of experience and know-how that becomes immediately available when you get a large cross-section of people together to solve or respond to a common challenge.

This is similar to what happens with the work of the Peace it Together network, given the wealth of experience and diverse range of fields in which its partners work.

Approaching peace-building from a multitude of perspectives and angles, while harnessing the creativity and potential of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, is social innovation in action.

So. Just for fun, let’s get thinking. What are some of the “itches” you want to “scratch” in Cyprus – or beyond – using the freely available resources of the internet?

(There’ll be a digital high-five for the most innovative suggestion you leave in the comments section below…)